Norfolk, Colebrook residents will be asked for school consolidation input at Dec. 18 hearing

NORFOLK >> Residents had their chance to air their concerns about a proposed plan to merge the Botelle School and Colebrook Consolidated School. Their opportunity to weigh in on the plan itself will likely come on Dec. 18.

First Selectman Susan Dyer announced the proposed referendum, as well as a corresponding town meeting on Dec. 17. The referendum would ask residents if they want to support "a temporary regional study committee to study the advisability of establishing a regional school district with the Town of Colebrook", moving the two towns one step closer towards uniting their elementary educational needs.

Consolidating the two towns' elementary schools -- both towns are part of Regional School District 7 for middle and high school -- would be one way to potentially avoid declining demographics. Jonathan Costa of Education Connection compiled a study of the trends impacting both districts, as well as the options before Norfolk and Colebrook.

Aside from remaining separate districts up through sixth grade, the study offered analyses of a cooperative agreement, a tuition agreement or a full merger of the elementary districts. The latter option would require a vote in favor of convening the study committee before the two towns could consider a regional elementary district, while cooperative or tuition arrangements would only need one vote on the agreement. Both Colebrook and Norfolk face declining enrollments and rising educational costs, according to the study.

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The preliminary study indicated that by 2022, the combined population of the two towns' elementary schools could be as few as 160 students, which would lead to drastic increases in educational costs per student. Colebrook First Selectman Thomas McKeon, who was at an Oct. 4 Norfolk meeting on the study, said his town's per-pupil cost could rise to $25,000 per student, while Norfolk's could reach as high as $40,000. Compounding the issues facing both towns is the state's series of education reforms, which included an Education Cost Sharing penalty for districts spending more than the state average per pupil.

Norfolk could lose up to $383,000 in ECS funds, Dyer said, if these trends continue.